John Rutledge Bermingham (November 7, 1923 – May 29, 2020) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the

Colorado Senate The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123, ...

from 1965 to 1973 as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Early life and education

Bermingham was born in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

on November 7, 1923. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Bermingham attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

, graduating from the latter in 1949.

Career

Bermingham served as a prosecutor for the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a United States district court, federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York (state), New York ...

. In 1953, he moved to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, where he practiced oil and gas law. Bermingham served in the

from 1965 to 1973 as a

. He sponsored legislation with future governor

Richard Lamm Richard Douglas Lamm (August 3, 1935 – July 29, 2021) was an American politician, writer, and attorney. He served three terms as 38th Governor of Colorado as a Democrat (1975–1987) and ran for the Reform Party's nomination for Presiden ...

that made Colorado the first state to liberalize its

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

laws. The legislation also promoted environmental legislation. Bermingham resigned in 1973 to be Governor John D. Vanderhoof's Assistant for Environmental Affairs from 1973 to 1975, when he was appointed by Governor Lamm to chair the Colorado Land Use Commission.

Personal life and death

Bermingham married Marcia Dines in 1954. He had three children with her before they divorced in 1966. Bermingham was founder and president of the Colorado Population Coalition. After serving in the

Colorado Legislature The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado. It is a bicameral legislature that was created by the 1876 state constitution. Its statutes are codified in the ''Colorado Revised Statutes'' (C.R.S.). The ses ...

, he was a board member of the Rocky Mountain Center of the Environment. While in his 80s, Bermingham taught courses at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

on population sustainability. Bermingham wrote and privately published a book on global sustainability. He also wrote biographies pertaining to his grandparents and their families. Bermingham was

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

. Bermingham died of natural causes at the age of 96 on May 29, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bermingham, John 1923 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American military personnel Republican Party Colorado state senators Lawyers from Denver New York (state) lawyers United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Illinois Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni People from Lake Forest, Illinois Place of death missing